Whilst the likes of Ash, Bebo, Kat and Priyanka rule the hearts of audiences with their current cinematic offerings; it's the actresses of yesteryears...

Whilst the likes of Ash,
Bebo, Kat and Priyanka rule the hearts of
audiences with their current cinematic offerings; it's the actresses of
yesteryears that are remembered for their unrivalled beauty and
elegance. Here's Bollycurry celebrating the immortal actresses that
truly gave the Golden screen it's rightful name...!!

Whilst the name, Mumtaz Begum Jehan Dehlavi, may
be a far cry from the iconic Madhubala, this talented actress was known
to hold audiences spellbound during her reign in Bollywood in the late
1950s and early 1960s.

1942's
Basant saw her debut in to Bollywood as a child artist before
she was offered her first lead role opposite Raj Kapoor in Neel Kamal,
at the age of only 14! The actress soon blossomed in to a captivating
beauty and has since been popularly known for hits such as Barsaat
Ki Raat, Half-Ticket and Mughal-e-Azam; the
latter of which has helped crown her as the Anarkali of B-Town.

N U T A N

"Sawan ka mahina, pawan kare sor,

Jiyara re jhoome aise, jaise banmaa naache
mor..."

Wether
we refer to the fourteen-year-old in Hamari Beti or the
elderly mother in Bolckbuster films such as Meri Jung and
Naam & Karma, actress Nutan has proven herself to be one of the
most versatile performers in Bollywood.

Following
the title of Miss India in 1952, Nutan recieved her first big break in
Seema (for which she won a Filmfare Award) before embarking on a number
of successful hits in the 50s and 60s. Nutan has widely been praised
for being an accomplished dramatic actress and holds the record for
winning the most Filmfare Best Actress Awards. Her biggest hits includeBandini, Tere Ghar ke Saamne, Milan, Gauri & Saraswatichandra.

Mahjabeen Bano, more popularly known as Meena
Kumari, is a talented poetess as well as an exceptional actress. Dubbed
"The Tragedy Queen" for her often dramatic and sorrowful roles, Kumari
has approximately 90 movies to her name and four Filmfare Best Actress
awards for movies such as Sahib, Biwi Aur Ghulam (in which she
plays and alcoholic wife, a role that has since been regarded as one of
the best Hindi Cinema has seen!), Aarti and Main Chup
Rahoongi (all recieved in 1962!).

Appearing in classics such as C. I. D.
Pyaasa, Kaagaz ke Phool, Chaudvin ka Chand, Bees Saal Baad & Sahib
Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962), Waheeda Rehman is known as one the most
prominent actresses of the golden era. She recieved two Filmfare best
actress awards for Guide and Neel Kamal whilst Reshma
Aur Shera also won her a National Film Award.

After
the release of Lamhe, the actress retired from the industry
for 12 years before making a comeback with critically acclaimed movies Om
Jai Jagdish, Water,Rang De Basanti, Maine Gandhi ko
Nahi Maara & Delhi6. However to date her best known
film remains Khamoshi, also starring Rajesh Khanna.

V Y J A Y A N T H I M A L
A

"Hothon
mein aisi baat main dabaake chali aayi,

Khul jaye wohi baat to duhaayi hai
duhaayi.."

Vyjayanthimala Bali is best know for her
outstanding classical dancing skills that have been much appreciated
throughout her career in the 1950s and 1960s. Whilst her acting career
started in the Tamil film industry, she found success with Hindi movies
such as her debut Ladki, Nagin and Man Dole, Mera tan dole. Following
her break out of B grade movie, Vyjayanthimala starred in Devdas,
garnering much critical acclaim.

What
followed was a string of successful movies such as Madhumati, Ganga
Jamuna, Leader & Naya Daur. The first two earned her Filmfare
best Actress Awards as did Sangam (opposite Raj Kapoor) whilst
the role of a courtesan in Sadhna earned her a Filmfare
nomination. Whilst the 1966 epic Amrapali was not a commercial
success, she recieved much fame with movies such as Jewel Thief,
Suraj, Prince & New Delhi.

Mala
Sinha was an actress whose own star power rivalled that of the heroes, a
rarity at that time. Known for glamorous yet women orientated roles,
Sinha debuted Bollywood with Badshah but it was her performance in
Pyaasa that proved to be thr turning point of her career. The movie has
since been noted as a classic in Indian cinema.

There was no looking back for the actress
after that as she enjoyed success in many hits such as Dhool ka
Phool , Movies like 'Parvarish', 'Phir Subah Hogi', 'Main Nahse Main
Hoon', 'Love Marriage', 'Bahurani', 'Anpadh', 'Aasra', 'Dil Tera
Deewana', Gumrah, Aankhen', Hariyali Aur Rasta', and 'Himalaya
Ki God Mein'

Sadhana, a trendsetter in her time, bagged her
first major role with 1959's Love in Simla. With the movie proving to be
a success, Sadhna was catapulted into stardom and started craze with
her hairstyle which is still referred to as the "Sadhana Cut" in India.

Mere
Mehboob fuelled her rise to stardom and yet it was Woh Kaun Thi that
landed Sadhana her first Filmfare whilst the blockbuster Waqt (where she
went on to set another fashion trend with tight churidar kurtas) would
earn her her second Filmfare nomination. The actress continued to
deliver hits such as Inteqaam, Ek Phool Do Mali and Geeta
Mera Naam before choosing to retire.

Asha
Parekh started of life in Bollywood as a child artist in 1952's Aasmaan.
Whilst the failure of 1954's Baap Beti disheartened her,
Parekh proved that she was star material when she was cast in Dil
Deke Dekho at the age of 16. Known primarily for her roles as
either a tomboy or a glamour girl, as well as being an excellent dancer,
Parekh enjoyed many success's in Bollywood such as Jab Pyar kisi se
Hota Hai (1961),Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Teesri Manzil (1966),
Baharon ke Sapne (1967), Pyar ka Mausam (1969), and Caravan (1971).

She
also excelled in dramatic roles and earned a Filmfare for her role in
Kati Patang and has gone down in History as the actress to have given
the maximum No of hits in Bollywood. She later retired from acting to
pursue a career in directing and producing television serials.

Whilst her first big break was Toofan Aur Diya
(1956), followed by the hit Bhabhi (in which she recieved a
Filmfare nomination), Nanda found herself playing small supporting roles
for a number of movies before she bagged the title role of Chhoti
Bahen in 1959. The success of the movie introduced her to stardom
and she continued her career with hits such as Hum Dono (1961),
Kanoon and Anchal, for which she won a Filmfare.

Movies
such as Jab Jab Phool Khile (in which she played a western
role) and Gumnaam proved to be the landmarks of her career.
The actress went on to recieve another Filmfare nomination for suspense
thriller Ittefaq, after which she was seen in mother roles for Ahista
Ahista, Mazdoor and Prem Rog before retiring from acting.

M U M T A Z

"Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har Zubaan par,

sabko maaloom hai aur sabko khabar ho gayi..."

Mumtaz, often cited as one of the most
beautiful actresses of her time, started of in Bollywood as an extra in
films before going on to do 16 action films in the 1960s, earning her
label of a stunt film heroine. Her roles in Tere Mere Sapne and Khilona
havebecome the landmarks of her career and whilst Khilona earned her a
Filmfare, it also went on to the Filmfare Best movie Award.

Popular
movie Ram aur Shyam earned her another Filmfare nomination whilst her
dance performance in Brahmachari recieved much acclaim. The actress has
over a hundred films to her names in a career spanning just 12 years!
Whilst she quit acting after a minor role in Aaina, Mumtaaz returned for
one final film, 12 years later, in Aasndhiyan.

Saira Banu (also known as Saira Bano) provided
Bollywood with many hits throughout the 60s to 80s. She won her first
Filmfare nomination for her debut Junglee (at the eage of 17),
although she failed to establish herself as an actress after movies such
as Gopi, Sagina, Bairaaq (all starring Dilip Kumar) and Chaitaali.
She did however recieve a further three filmfare nominations for her
roles in Shagird, Diwana and Sagina before choosing to quit
acting in 1976.

However
the actress chose to make two more appearances with a cameo in Duniya
( 1984) and Faisla (1988).

Begum Ayesha Sultana, more popularly known as
Sharmila Tagore, is an actress who has many National Film and Filmfare
awards to her name. Whilst her performance in Kashmir Ki Kali
(1964) gained her much popularity with the masses; the sight of Tagore
in a two-piece bikini (unheard of in Bollywood until this point) for her
role in An Evening in Paris (1967) labelled her as a sex
symbol in Bollywood.

Her
successful career continues with hits such as Aradhana (1969),
Amar Prem (1972), Daag (1973) and Maalika
(1972). She was most recently spotted with Saif Ali Khan in Eklavya:
The Royal Guard.

Nargis should have been in this list. But she wasnt as bautiful as Sadhna, Saira Banu or Sharmila. Those 3 were the most gorgeous! Just remember Sadhna in Mere Mehboob, Saira Banu in Junglee and Sharmila in Kashmir Ki Kali? They were true beauties which these plastic modern actresses can never come close to!

Seriously what a contrastI mean these yesteryear actresses had the looks as well as the talent ...what a rocking list and the current lot is abs no match to them ......i think the word actress lived till Kajol was a mainline actress ......after that sorry i dont consider anyone of the current lot to be an actress ...some are surviving bec of the titles they have won , some bec of the families they come from and some bec of their looks and the very hopeless ones bec some one frm the industry happens to be their very good friend !!!!Madubala , Waheeda Rehman ,Sadhna and Mumtaz ...my favs from the list

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